'Yes, it stinks': Corpse flower in Des Moines has bloomed

A foul smelling plant known as the "corpse flower" is finally blooming at the New York Botanical Garden in New York City. The rare blooming began Thursday afternoon after more than 10 years of growth. (July 29)
AP

"What a difference a few hours makes ... meet Carrie the Corpse Flower, officially in bloom," the Botanical Garden posted on Facebook at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden announced late Monday that its officials were seeing "encouraging process" from its rare Titan arum.

The Botanical Garden will have special hours Tuesday so interested viewers — and smellers — can experience the beauty and stench for themselves.

"We’re opening at 7 a.m. today so you can see (and smell) her in person (and yes, it stinks)," it said on Facebook.

"When it unfurls, this exceedingly rare plant emits an odor similar to rotting flesh from the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence in the world," the Botanical Garden said in a news release on July 13.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden announced Thursday that its Titan arum will soon bloom.

Also known as the Corpse Flower, the plant can grow well over 4 feet, according to the Botanical Garden. When it was measured Thursday, the flower was listed at 2 feet tall.

The Botanical Garden said that the flowering plant will open up for less than 24 hours in the next 10 to 12 days. It won’t bloom again for at least the next three to five years.

"It's really a one-of-a-kind thing in the plant world," Kelly Reilly, marketing director at the Botanical Garden, told the Register.

Sounds exciting, right? Get a big whiff of this, too:

"When it unfurls, this exceedingly rare plant emits an odor similar to rotting flesh from the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence in the world," the Botanical Garden said in its news release.

And its horrid smell adds to why the Corpse Flower is so popular.

The smell, though, which Reilly said is "akin to road kill," is beneficial because insects like beetles and flies are attracted to the scent and collect pollen from the flower and carry on.

"I don't think it should deter anyone from seeing it because that's what's part of the novelty about it," Reilly said of the smell.

Here's a look at what that process looks like:

CLOSE

After waiting years for it to bloom, the corpse flower wowed visitors at the Denver Botanic Gardens...but only for a short time. Watch the flower bloom, then close, in under one minute.
VPC

The Botanical Garden added that the flower only grows in the wild in Sumatra, Indonesia. It was brought to Iowa from Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif., in 2013 by Whitney Bouma, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden’s director of education and outreach.

Until recently, Reilly said, it grew quietly in a Botanical Garden greenhouse. You can learn more about the Corpse Flower here.

"It's such an exciting time for our institution, the city of Des Moines, Iowa and really everyone to be part of something cool and usual," Reilly said.

You can follow the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden on Facebook for up-to-the-minute updates as well as dropping suggestions of names for the flower.

New entrance at The Des Moines Botanical Garden that has had changes and renovations, with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

Over view of The Des Moines Botanical Garden that has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

The Des Moines Botanical Garden gave parents a warm place to spend a day with their kids. White orchids like this one, seen in a macro view, were on the list of scavenger hunt items children had to search for and identify throughout the building. Mary Willie/The Register

Water from the waterfall creates a pattern of circles and ripples above one of the fish during the first Botanical Blues session of the year at the Des Moines Botanical Garden. Justin Hayworth/The Register

Lexi Thies, 7 of West Des Moines participates in a plant scavenger hunt while her mother Nikki helps son Mason, 4, get a view of the waterfall. The Des Moines Botanical Garden gave parents a warm place to spend a day. Photo by Mary Chind

Abby Dutchuk, 4, of West Des Moines bends down to smell the flowers during the first Botanical Blues session of the year at the Des Moines Botanical Garden Sunday afternoon. Justin Hayworth/The Register

Hal Thorne, Pres/CEO of GSky Plant Systems works to install the living wall at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. He was given the design by the Botanical Garden designers. Andrea Melendez/The Register

Hal Thorne, Pres/CEO of GSky Plant Systems works to install the living wall at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. He was given the design by the Botanical Garden designers. Andrea Melendez/The Register

This is the new living wall that will be in the entryway of the Botanical Center. Irrigation is in place for the plants that will be on the wall. The plants will be placed on the wall closer to opening day. Andrea Melendez/The Register

Hal Thorne, Pres/CEO of GSky Plant Systems works to install the living wall at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. He was given the design by the Botanical Garden designers. Andrea Melendez/The Register

Hal Thorne, Pres/CEO of GSky Plant Systems works to install the living wall at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. He was given the design by the Botanical Garden designers. Andrea Melendez/The Register

Kelly Norris, Horticulture Manager at The Des Moines Botanical Garden, talked about the changes and renovations to the Garden and the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

Kelly Norris, Horticulture Manager at The Des Moines Botanical Garden, talked about the changes and renovations to the Garden and the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

Kelly Norris, Horticulture Manager at The Des Moines Botanical Garden, talked about the changes and renovations to the Garden and the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

The new gift shop in new location and with open display at The Des Moines Botanical Garden, that has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

New Desert Garden display at The Des Moines Botanical Garden that has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

New Desert Garden display at The Des Moines Botanical Garden that has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

View looking across a waterway towards the new entrance with automatic sliding doors, into The Des Moines Botanical Garden that has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

View looking upwards at the domed roof at The Des Moines Botanical Garden, with banana trees to the left. The Botanical Garden has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

Upper level pond at The Des Moines Botanical Garden that has had changes and renovations, as work continues with the re-opening this Saturday. The Botanical Garden is located at 909 Robert D. Ray Dr, Des Moines. Photo shot on Wednesday afternoon Sept. 25th. Bill Neibergall/The Register

Kelly Norris is the horticulture manager of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Norris has also published a book on Irises and spoken at several gardening trade shows and conferences on how the gardening industry can engage millennials in gardening. Christopher Gannon/The Register

Kelly Norris, horticulture manager for the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, discusses the progress of a massive outdoor garden redevelopment underway this spring. The new outdoor gardens will open this fall. Christopher Gannon/The Register

des.m0104botanical - Jan. 3, 2013 - Rodney White/The Des Moines Register - Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Board Chair, Thursday morning Jan. 3, 2012. SUBJECT: Des Moines Water Works will ceremonially hand over the keys to the tropical cultural attraction to the new Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. After operating the Des Moines Botanical Center the past nine years, Des Moines Water Works will ceremonially hand over the keys to the tropical cultural attraction to the new Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. The event will take place under the Dome on January 3 at 9 a.m. In 2003, Des Moines Water Works assumed management of the Botanical Center from the city of Des Moines, which remains the owner. Water Works staff and several Water Works Board of Trustees at the time recognized the Botanical Center as a significant public facility and helped improve declining revenues. Rodney White/The Register

Stephanie Jutila, left, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and Kelly Norris, horticulture manager, walk the new boardwalk over a half-acre water garden Tuesday at the botanical garden. The water feature is part of a new seven acre outdoor garden that's been under construction for the last 18 months. Christopher Gannon/The Register

Joe Jenkins of Country Landscapes pushes a wheel barrow filled with Ruby Slippers Oak Leaf Hydrangea to be planted along a garden walkway Tuesday at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. The walkway is part of a new seven acre outdoor garden that's been under construction for the last 18 months. Christopher Gannon/The Register

The Plaza building lines up with maple trees along a garden walkway under construction Tuesday at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. The walkway is part of a new seven acre outdoor garden that's been under construction for the last 18 months. Christopher Gannon/The Register

Construction continues on the "celebration garden" Tuesday adjacent to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. The garden, which will feature a large waterfall, is designed to host events. It is part of a new seven acre outdoor garden that's been under construction for the last 18 months. Christopher Gannon/The Register

Water flows for the first time on a hillside fountain in the "celebration garden" Tuesday at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Water will run clear after construction is complete. The garden is designed to host events. It is part of a new seven acre outdoor garden that's been under construction for the last 18 months. Christopher Gannon/The Register